


Captain America, College Scandals, and Mac's Insanity

by fluffynarwhal



Series: Mac and Roper's Countdown to Halloween [4]
Category: Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)
Genre: Angst, But only a little, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, I promise it isn't that bad, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, but nothing is detailed, daphne is the best superhero ever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:01:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27315934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluffynarwhal/pseuds/fluffynarwhal
Summary: The final week leading up to Halloween in the Mac and Roper household!Sometimes, Mac hates skype calls, drug scandals happen within college sports, and Daphne is the best superhero the world has ever seen.Also, Mac is definitely descending into madness.
Relationships: Glen McReynolds/Kenny Roper
Series: Mac and Roper's Countdown to Halloween [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1983593





	Captain America, College Scandals, and Mac's Insanity

**Author's Note:**

> part four is FINALLY HERE!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN Y'ALL! 
> 
> also, note, there is some talk about drug use in this fic. I included it because when I worked at my hometown's community college, there was a massive drug scandal that happened within the athletic department right before a big game. Because Mac is a coach, I know he's had to deal with this stuff before, and I wanted to add a little angst. 
> 
> if you'd like to know what happens, skip down to the end notes for a bit more detailed explanation of the situation. 
> 
> happy reading! stay safe out there lovelies.

Mac decides, after a minor descent to madness, that he and Roper are never,  _ ever _ allowing their annual October festivities to happen in Waco again.  _ Ever _ . 

As usual, Mac is setting up his computer at the dining table for the Skype call. It normally occurs on the 25th of the month, but Coma had to reschedule because of a work thing. This Skype call is just to make sure everyone has their costumes if the hosting city member(s) didn’t already buy them. Most of the time, it’s just a check in to see if everyone is still game for pumpkin carving night and the party. 

So after Mac got off work, he came home to find Roper already home and pulling all of their halloween costumes out to be shown off. He hurried upstairs to change out of his work clothes before dragging his computer into the dining room. 

Once everything is set up, Mac checks his phone and sees he has a bit of time left before the call, so he jumps up to make a quick snack for himself and Roper. It’s nothing special, just a bag of chips and two different kinds of dip, but it’ll keep them sated until they can actually eat something more filling. 

6 o’clock comes around, and Roper just manages to fly into the dining room as the call comes through. Mac answers it first, allowing Roper to sit down and catch his breath, only to be met by Finn’s cheesy grin. 

“Get your face away from the camera, I can see your nose hair,” Mac tells him, gagging a little. Roper chuckles and pushes the computer back so he can get in frame, nodding his head to Finn. 

“Have you called anyone else yet?” Roper asks. 

Finn shakes his head and takes a sip from a glass. “I started with you two. Give me a second and I’ll get the rest of them in here.” 

It takes a few minutes to get everyone online, but once they do, it’s a madhouse, as per usual. 

Coma is busy stuffing his face and trying to stay awake. Dale is waiting quietly for his turn to speak, fumbling with the costume in his lap. Bueter and Brumly are messaging back and forth since they can’t get a word in. Nesbit and Finn are arguing over the type of mustaches they should all be wearing. Mac and Roper are too busy munching on their chips to really contribute anything, while Jake and Daphne are eating their dinner with the mic shut off so she doesn’t hear any accidental curse words.

“You’re so stupid sometimes, Nes,” Finn huffs, rubbing his temples. “I told you last week, the mustache you want to wear is more of a 70’s vibe. If we’re going for 80’s trash, at least make sure it’s up to date!” 

“Well excuse me, Mr. I-Know-Everything-Because-I’m-Finn!” Nesbit cries. He tosses the mustache he’s holding across the room and bangs his head against the table in front of him. 

“Guys, I know you’re trying to make this work,” Dale interrupts, “but I have a lesson to finish for tomorrow, and I still have at least two more hours of work.” 

Mac clears his throat and sits a little straighter. “Let’s just get this done, and Finn and Nes can argue about it later.” He glances to Jake’s screen and winces. “Daph looks like she’s about to drop.” 

Coma sends a quick message to Jake, letting him know it’s all clear. When he reads the message, Jake leans up and unmutes his mic, letting the sounds of Daphne through. 

“Say hi, Daph,” Jake smiles, ruffling Daphne’s hair and pulling her into his lap. 

“Hiiiiii!” 

There’s a round of awws as they all wave back to her. 

God, sometimes Mac wonders how Jake made such a cute kid. “Are you ready for halloween?” he asks. 

Daphne lights up and jumps off the couch to get closer to the computer. Jake catches her at the last second and puts her back beside him, wiping off her face with the sleeve of his shirt. “My dad said I could choose whatever costume I wanted, and he’d take me to the big houses to go trick-a-treating,” she says matter-of-factly. A few of the guys chuckle at her tiny little voice. 

“That sounds like so much fun, Daph,” Dale says. “Do the big houses give out the good candy?” 

Jake barks out a laugh and shakes his head. “They belong to the doctors, lawyers, and politicians in the city. They only give full size candy options to stay in good graces.” 

Daphne nods her head enthusiastically. “Last year - um - last year, I ate three whole hershey bars by myself.” 

And really, it’s unfair how much like Jake she is. She’s almost an identical match to his personality. 

“I think your uncle Mac and I might have some big candy bars for you, missy,” Roper tells her. 

The girl lights up like the sun and turns to Jake with a pair of puppy dog eyes from hell. Jake rolls his eyes at her and glares at Roper through the screen. “We’re going over to their house on Friday, pumpkin. I’m sure they’ll still have your candy then.” 

Mac grabs a chip from the bag and sticks it in his mouth. “You know,” he says, mouth full, “I think Roper got you a couple of presents for Friday.” 

“Hey, how come I don’t get presents?” Bueter asks. 

Roper swallows what was in his mouth and waves him off. “Because you’re not my goddaughter, no matter how much you act like her.” Bueter crosses his arms across his chest and huffs. “Jake, I forgot to tell you - I went to get the kind of cheese for Daph’s dinner on Friday, but it’s not the name brand.” 

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Jake assures. “As long as it doesn’t have gluten, we’re good.” 

“Alright, let’s get this underway,” Finn announces. 

“Hey, Daph, why don’t we go show everyone what costume you’re wearing on Saturday, hm?” Jake suggests. Daphne nods and hops off the couch, running off the screen. Jake turns back to the screen and rubs at his eyes. “I just have to warn you guys; Bev was the one who bought this for her, so I had absolutely nothing to do with this.” 

Mac swallows the food in his mouth as he reaches behind the computer to grab a few costumes. He isn’t sure what’s so important that Jake has to warn them, but he thinks it may have something to do with either their theme or something out of their college years. In any case, Mac figures it can’t be too bad. “I thought you were the one who told her she could be anything she wanted?” he asks. Jake shrugs and sighs heavily. 

“I told Bev what I said, and she took it upon herself to take Daph shopping.” 

From behind Jake, a little voice shrieks, “Daddy! My tights are missing!” 

“Check in the closet,” Jake answers. There’s a faint,  _ Found it! _ and suddenly a flash of blue rushes in front of the screen. 

Mac finally understands why Jake warned everyone before. 

Daphne, all bouncing energy and happy giggles, is wearing a full uniform, that of Captain America, complete with a shield and cowl. The cowl isn’t completely covering her face, as it’s sat atop her brown, curly hair. The shield is probably the size of her body, but she holds it well against her arm. The suit itself resembles the Marvel Captain America, but shrunk down to fit her body. She’s even sporting black, fingerless gloves to complete the look. 

“Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle,” Finn grins. “You look good, Daph!” 

Daphne glows with pride and puffs up her shoulders to hold the shield better. “My mommy almost punched someone because they said I had to be a boy to be Captain America.” 

Jake reaches forward and puts his hand over her mouth, laughing behind her. “Didn’t your mother tell you not to tell anyone about that?” 

The rest of the group laughs behind their hands, both at the fact that Daphne is the best Captain they’ve seen, and knowing Bev almost hit somebody to defend her daughter. 

For the remainder of the call, Mac and Roper show everyone the bits of clothing they picked up; knee-high tube socks, cut off shorts, period-typical shirts, and a few ballcaps. They have enough singular items to spread them out between the guys if they need to. 

Of course, the moment Roper finishes showing what they bought, Finn starts badgering the rest of the group 

Coma, Bueter, Nesbit, and Dale all have their full costumes, complete with wigs and facial hair. Jake still needs to pick up his shoes, Finn ordered his shirt off Amazon so it’ll be there tomorrow, and Brumley and Plummer have everything aside from a pair of shorts. They said they’d probably just borrow some shorts that Mac and Roper found so they don't have to buy them. Mac showed off his costume, a black, mesh sports top and a pair of gray shorts, topped off with white tube socks and black sneakers. Roper is going in a more relaxed outfit, an orange and blue striped shirt and a pair of jeans and white sneakers. 

Mac is also the only one in the group that can grow enough facial hair to pull a mustache off, so he’ll shave right before the party. He knows Roper is excited to shave it all off once November 1st comes around. 

After costumes have been hashed out, and schedules have been checked, the plan to head over on Friday is still a go. Everyone will be coming over for pumpkin carving, and then heading out to the costume party. After that’s over, and Daphne is tired, they’ll be crashing at their place. 

The actual costume party is more of another type of carnival, just with trick-or-treating for children and a few haunted houses for the older patrons. While the festival at the beginning of the month was more for adults, this one is catered to children, where they can collect candy and stuffed animals at game booths. 

One year, Mac and Roper stayed home instead of going to Dale’s hometown for the month’s events because they came down with a cold and didn’t want to pass it on to Daphne. They attended the carnival in Waco, once they hadn’t had fevers for 48 hours, and loved it. 

It takes another thirty minutes before Mac and Roper bow out of the call, feigning a headache and lesson plans to be done. Jake and Daphne disappeared five minutes before, when she was starting to fall asleep where she sat. With everyone else still on the call, Mac and Roper wave them a good-bye and exit, shutting the laptop closed. 

Mac sighs and scrubs his face with his hands. “We’re never doing this in Waco again,” he says, leaning his head back against the chair. “This is ridiculous.” 

Roper leans over and kisses Mac’s cheek, Mac leaning into it. “I think we still have some of the rice and beef tips from the other night. That’s the quickest thing we have in the house, and I don’t feel like waiting for take out.” 

“You, Kenny Roper, are the love of my life,” Mac says. He puts his arm behind Roper’s shoulders and hauls him in for a kiss, accentuating it with one to his nose. “Do you want me to heat it up, or do you want me to put the clothes up?” 

“Hmm. Let’s divide and conquer. You get the food, and I’ll put everything up. I need to separate the ones that are getting used so we can take everything back,” Roper replies. He stands up with a final kiss to Mac’s forehead and picks up all the clothing on the table, retreating into the guestroom to put them away. 

With Roper busy with that, Mac follows suit and heads to the kitchen to get the rice and beef. He sections them out into two bowls to be microwaved, patting rice on the bottom, with the beef tip stew on top. Normally, after a big day like today, Roper’s a little extra hungry - but since they’ve been munching on chips for the past hour or so, Mac figures he won’t eat his normal portion. 

Mac finishes serving up the bowls and covers both of them with a paper towel, putting one in the microwave for short intervals. He finishes Roper’s bowl first so he can eat as soon as he’s back, and then gets his bowl into the microwave. While he waits for the timer to go off, he goes back to the cabinet to get a few pieces of bread, popping them in the toaster. 

Roper returns and grabs his bowl off the counter, bopping his head against Mac’s shoulder as a thank you. He takes it over to the table, but doubles back to grab two cans of soda for the both of them. 

Finally, the microwave timer goes off, so Mac checks his food to make sure it’s ready. The bread pops up as he walks over to the table, so he leans over and picks the two pieces up, hurrying them over to Roper before he burns his fingers. 

Dinner is quiet, conversations about their day fill the silence. Mac tells Roper about the new freshman he’s been watching, and Roper tells Mac about an article that was published about a formula that could solve something in the chemistry world. They discuss Friday and Saturday as a whole as they split a pint of ice cream, and talk how excited they are to see Daphne. 

It’s a nice way to wind down after the stress of talking to everyone gets tough. Once dinner and dessert is finished, they work side by side in clearing the table and cleaning up the kitchen. Then it’s a mad dash to the bathroom to take a shower and get changed into their pajamas. 

Halloween is coming, but first, Mac needs a fucking nap. 

* * *

The rest of the week passes by far too quickly for Mac’s taste. On Tuesday, Mac was too exhausted to do any kind of preparation, and Roper just finished a full day of holding tutoring sessions. They went to the grocery store for last minute provisions on Wednesday, and back to the costume store on Thursday to take back the things they aren’t using. 

Friday morning, Mac finds himself hovering over his desk in his office, his assistant coach, Ray Murray, and three of his players sitting in front of him. 

“Look,” Mac sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, “I told you at the beginning of the semester I’d always be holding you to a certain standard.” He walks around the desk to stand in front of the players, leaning back to sit on the edge. “So, here’s what we’re going to do - you tell me who sold you the pills, and I’ll consider letting you sit in my dugout next year, if you can stay clean.” 

Ray leans against the wall, sighing heavily and dropping his head to his chest. “If you boys don’t tell us anything, we can’t help you. Do you realise you’re about to be arrested and expelled? You’re on the starting line-up for Baylor Baseball. I thought you wanted to play pro?” 

The room is silent, the three boys looking between themselves, pale and shaking. 

Apparently, Ray was doing a dorm check on Thursday since Mac was busy, and found the three boys tripping on something they took. At first, no one said anything about what they actually ingested, but when Mac was called Friday morning, Ray mentioned that he took them to the hospital and the doctors confirmed it was something along the lines of MDMA, or ecstasy. 

Ray called the boys’ parents as soon as they got to the hospital, and made sure they all knew he’d keep them updated until Mac could get involved. Two of the boys’ parents already made the trip to campus, and are waiting for them in their rooms. 

Mac shakes his head and stands, walking over to the window looking out over the lawn in front of the athletic building. “When I was in college, I had a teammate who smoked weed every morning, afternoon, night, and before and after each game,” he tells them. “Since I was captain during my junior and senior years, it was my responsibility to keep my team safe, and I couldn’t do that if someone was inebriated during every game.” 

“You never told us that,” one of the boys finally speaks, his voice frail and scared. 

“At our first practice game, two days before the semester started, he was caught and expelled, after I sent the RA a tip. I lost his trust and we lost a damn good pitcher.” Mac turns and crosses his arms over his chest, starring the three down, even though they’re busy glaring at the carpet. “Who sold you the pills,” he presses, more so a command rather than a question. 

The boy in the middle, Hank, blinks a few times, his bottom lip quivering as he lifts his head. The boy’s eyes are bloodshot and watery. “I promised him I wouldn’t say anything,” Hank states. He sniffles and wipes his nose with the back of his hand. “I’m sorry.” 

Mac exhales a heavy breath, dropping his chin to his chest. He has a feeling the seller is someone on a sports team, but only because there’s really no one else to go to on campus. Sometimes the athletic department gets a few bad seeds, and it’s guys like these three who suffer for it. 

“Right, here’s what’s going to happen,” he seethes trying his best to keep his shit together for the next five minutes. “You three are going to sit in this office until we can get campus police here. Ray is going to call your parents and tell them to start packing up your shit. If anything is left, I'll send a few freshmen to get it taken care of to be mailed. Ray is going to give the officers your hospital records from last night, as well as the pills we found still in your rooms, and they’ll take care of it from there.” 

“I’m sorry, Coach, I just - “

“ _ Do not _ ,” Mac hisses, keeping his voice level, “apologize to me. You’re not sorry you did it - you’re sorry you got caught. You’re done here.” 

He takes that moment to move out of the way to let Ray sit behind his desk and make the phone calls to their parents while Mac leaves his office, slamming the door shut behind him. His feet take him down the stairs and into the lobby, pulling out his phone and calling campus police. Mac only tells them he has a few players with drugs in their system, as well as possessing a bag containing six pills in their rooms, and hangs up when they give the affirmative. 

Christ, it’s only 9 a.m. 

The next phone call he makes is straight to Roper’s cell phone as he walks out the front door and into the cool air outside. It takes a few rings, but he finally picks up. 

“Hey, sugar, you ready to carve some veggies tonight?” Roper asks, happily. His voice is warm in Mac’s ear and the only thing calming him down. 

Taking a deep breath in, Mac holds it for a second before responding, “Three of my juniors had to be taken to the ER last night. There were drugs in their systems, and Ray found more pills in their room. They’re about to get arrested and kicked off campus, off my team, and I’m two seconds away from marching back up there and throttling them all.” 

“Um - okay, fuck,” Roper replies after a minute of listening to Mac breathe heavily into the phone. “How - how are you - where are you right now?” 

Mac paces in front of the building, hand on his hip. “I’m outside my building, waiting for the cops to show up.” 

“Right. Okay, give me an hour and I’ll be there,” Roper says, a flurry of movement on his line. 

“No, Kenny, please don’t. You have that lecture soon, and - “

Roper snorts. “Oh, save it, Mac. I’m allowed to cancel my classes for the day. I know my kids are up to speed on midterm material, and I sent out the study guide last night.” There’s a furious sound of typing as he speaks. “I’m emailing the rest of my classes for the day, and my department chair to let her know what I’m doing.” 

“Kenny, I’m fine, I just needed - “

“I’ll go ahead and take off Monday too, just in case something happens,” Roper says, bowling over Mac’s words. “Alright, email is sent to the chair. I just have to send one to the kids, and then I’m on my way. Are you okay?” 

Mac scoffs and plops down on the bench just outside the door, dropping his head into his hand. “I drug test my players every month, and they all passed a week ago. These boys won’t even tell me who sold them the fucking pills because they’re protecting him. I’m about to lose three of my best players.” He cuts himself off, a frustrated groan making it’s way past his lips. 

Roper sighs and replies, “I know, love. We’ll get through this. You have enough time to get those positions filled and ready by the time the season starts.” 

“I still need to call the other coaches and let them know what’s going on,” Mac whimpers. “God, of all days, it had to be today.” 

“Listen,” Roper says gently, “I’m leaving my office right now. I’ll pick up some coffee and help you do whatever you need to do today. You still got me, and Ray, and the other coaches on campus. Hell, I’ll even talk to the rest of the team if I have to.” 

“Thank you. I love you.” Mac glances over at the street and sees two police cruisers pulling up. “The officers just got here. Let me know when you get downstairs - I don’t want you to have to get involved with parents.” 

“I love you too, Glen. I’ll be there soon.” 

Mac hangs up the phone and shoves it into his back pocket as the officers walk over with sullen looks on their faces. He reaches over and shakes their hands, leading them into the building. 

By noon, all three boys’ dorm rooms have been cleared out and stuffed into the back of vehicles. Campus police drove them away after a conversation with their parents, already headed to the county jail. Ray is talking outside Mac’s office with the coaches for football, basketball, tennis, volleyball, golf, and the swim team, letting them all know what happened. 

Roper showed up around 10:30, with coffee for Mac and Ray, along with breakfast burritos from a place near his own university. 

As Ray talks to the other coaches, Roper is busy on Mac’s computer, composing an email/text message going out to his players, requesting they come by the athletic building at 1 p.m. to have a team meeting. Once he finishes that, he closes the computer lid and reaches into Mac’s desk drawer, pulling out a butterscotch candy and offering it to Mac who is sitting in a chair by the door. 

“Eat this please. You’re making me sad with your pouty face,” Roper tells him, opening the candy wrapper and popping it in Mac’s mouth. 

“I should bring Willoughby in to talk to these fucking idiots,” Mac says. “At least then they’d hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.” 

“Yes, but then he’d go on that spiel about how leaving baseball was the best thing that ever happened to him.” Roper sits down beside him and laces their fingers together. 

Mac hums. “I’ll pay Plummer to tell them a sob story.” 

“Can’t do that either - your shortstop is one of his alumni.” 

“Dammit.” 

A knock on the door forces Mac’s attention away from Roper’s hand. Ray comes in and drops down onto the floor, laying flat on his back. “Well, good news is drug tests are going to happen campus wide in the sports department, so we’ll find out who sold them the pills.” 

Roper leans forward on his arms to look down at Ray. “And the bad news?” 

Ray groans loudly and throws his baseball cap across the room. “I looked over the stats while you went over to the dorms just to make sure we had enough guys to pull through this season.” 

“Please, for the love of all that is holy in this world, tell me we’re not down half the fucking team,” Mac begs. 

Ray clicks his tongue and holds a thumbs up sign with his hand. He rubs his face and turns his head towards the pair. “We need to test them again, Mac. At this point, we can’t assume they’re clean.” 

Roper clears his throat and stands, walking over to the file on Mac’s desk that holds player information. “If I remember correctly, you have a freshman from Florida whose stats look good for a pinch. I’ve seen him practice, and he kept his shit together when you went recruiting.” He flips a few pages and pulls the kids information out, handing it to Mac. “There’s also the sophomore transfer who plays third base. He can move to first base or shortstop if you need him to.” 

Mac looks over the Florida boy’s stats as Roper talks, and reaches for the sophomore’s page when he hands it over. Ray sits up and glances over at the pages. “That actually could work, Mac,” Ray says, sounding almost awed. 

“You’d have to switch some players around, but not enough to cause an uproar,” Roper continues. “If you move these two, and then move Wright to third base, you’d still have everyone else in their rightful positions.” 

“Hank was our closing pitcher, though,” Mac argues. “We can’t just expect someone to take over for him.” 

Roper hands him a third page, one of the seniors. Everyone calls him Vee. “He was a pitcher back in high school.” 

“Wait, hold on,” Ray says, reaching for Vee’s papers. “He’s been playing second base the last four years - how the fuck are we supposed to bring him on as a closer? It’s been too long.” 

Mac looks up at Roper to find a spark in his eye. It’s just a quick burst of mischievous energy, but Mac still sees it. He trusts Roper with this stuff, especially if it’s about baseball. 

“Alright,” Mac announces, standing up and handing off the papers to Ray. “Vee is done playing second this year. I’ll move a freshman off the bench and get him some playing time. The sophomore and the kid from Florida will be moving positions. This is going to be a trial basis, only - if they can’t figure their shit out, we call one of our walk-ons and test him out.” 

“You’re absolutely insane,” Ray exhales. “But I guess that’s why you’re the boss.” There’s a slight smile on his lips and Mac will take what he can get. 

Roper rounds the desk and hands Mac another butterscotch candy. “I’m ordering pizza for the team. Text me the order and I’ll have it delivered when everyone shows up.” 

“Everyone?” Ray asks. 

Mac nods and pops the candy in his mouth. “The boys are coming in at 1 so we can tell them what happened. It’s not like they don’t already know, but they still need to know, especially now if we’re changing things around.” 

Ray nods and leaves the office, heading back down to his. Roper steps up to Mac and leans in, kissing him softly. “I’m very proud of you, and I love you,” he says, grinning. 

“I love you too. Thank you for all this,” Mac replies, placing his hands on Roper’s hips. 

“You’d lose your mind without me around.” 

“That is probably the truest statement that’s ever come out of your mouth.” 

Roper chuckles and kisses him once more before heading for the door. “Wings and cinnamon rolls for you?” he wonders, already almost out the door with the phone pressed against his ear. 

“Talk dirty to me.”

Mac tracks Roper’s laughs until he can’t hear him anymore. He turns to his desk and opens his laptop, pulling together a chart to switch around his players. 

Of all days, and it had to be today. 

At least he still has Roper on his team. 

Yes, okay - Mac’s sappy. 

* * *

“Uncle Mac, look what I got!” Daphne cheers, barreling into Mac’s arms as soon as she comes through the door. Mac barely manages to catch her, swooping down and picking her up in his arms. 

“Oooh, you got the good stuff, huh?” Mac laughs, watching as Roper ambles up the steps to the front door carrying a large, brown sack stocked full of candy. 

Roper comes across the threshold and shuts it, setting the bag down and reaching past Daphne to kiss Mac’s forehead. “Captain America has officially depleted my savings account,” he announces, not sounding angry at all. “How’s dinner coming?” 

Mac spins Daphne around so she can sit on his shoulder, leading Roper into the kitchen, where Jake, Bueter, Brumley, and Finn are all helping. Nesbit and Plummer are busy setting up the pumpkins outside for later. “Coma’s outside manning the steaks,” he says. “We’ve got about ten more minutes and then we can eat.” 

“Uncle Mac, can I have some candy before we go to the carnival?” Daphne asks, patting the top of Mac’s head. 

“We sure can,” Mac answers, pulling her down and setting her on the floor. “After we eat dinner, though.” 

“Daphne Bradford, I expect a full happy plate before any candy,” Jake tells her from across the kitchen. “Go ahead and sit down, please, ma’am. Do you want juice or sweet tea?” he asks. 

She nods eagerly and makes her way over to the table, calling out, “Juice, please,” before sitting in one of the chairs. “Can I sit next to uncle Finn?” she asks politely. 

Roper snorts and heads over to the stove. “I buy her everything in the shop, and she still picks him over me,” he says to Jake. “I’m her godfather, for Christ’s sake.” 

Jake chuckles, shrugging before handing Roper a pot of mashed potatoes. “You know how she is, man. As soon as you give her more candy she’ll be glued to your hip.” 

“Someone else needs to have another kid that I can spoil,” Mac says to the room at large. He opens the fridge and pulls out various sauces and toppings for the potatoes. 

“We all thought you and Roper would be the first ones with kids,” Bueter speaks. “Hell, I thought I’d be the first one with a kid.” 

Dale slaps Bueter’s shoulder with a laugh. “That’s because your girlfriend in college told you she was a day late, and you lost your mind.” 

“Jesus, I forgot about that,” Finn cackles. “The year hadn’t started yet, and you were running home.” 

“Look, guys, it was the first time that ever happened, alright?” Bueter defends, smacking Finn’s arm. 

Mac takes things that are ready over to the table, ignoring the chaos around him. Jake leans around Finn to hand him Daphne’s food, so Mac sets it down in front of her, along with some silverware. He doubles back to grab her drink and puts that down as well. Daphne thanks him, so he kisses the top of her head and ruffles her hair a bit, making her giggle. 

Coma comes back into the kitchen carrying a tray with steaks, followed by Nesbit and Plummer. As pots and pans are finished cooking, like mashed potatoes and veggies, he carries them over to the table. Coma sets the tray down on the counter for people to grab freely. 

Once everyone is sitting down, plates full and ready to be eaten, Roper stands up with his soda in his hand. “I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped put all of this together. Mac and I really appreciate all the help with tonight and throughout the month.” 

There’s a round of cheers as some of them hold sodas and others hold beer. 

“On another note, I refuse to ever allow this Halloween event to be held in Waco again,” Mac speaks up, clinking his soda can to Roper’s. 

“Alright, enough sap,” Finn hollers. “Dig in!” 

The rest of Mac’s afternoon was spent in his office, surrounded by questioning players, school board members, and other coaches that wanted to sit in on the team meeting. As expected, the meeting went pretty well considering the situation, and the boys were more than happy to switch positions around. They all had questions, seeing as most of the guys were close to the three they lost, but Mac kept his tone level and only answered what was necessary. 

Roper even got up in front of the group of people to talk. He told the group the story about Willoughby, obviously leaving out the parts that happened after he was expelled. The team responds to Roper, and it was nice seeing how attentive they were with it all. 

Mac explained to the boys, and every other attending eye, that he’d be drug testing more often than just once a month, which they were fine with. In all honesty, they were much more accepting of the changes than Mac had anticipated. Even before the meeting was over, every player willingly submitted another sample for the drug test, flooring Ray and the school board members. 

After the paperwork, calling parents and teachers, emailing the athletic director to update him on the new roster, and getting in touch with the Marketing department so they could prepare a statement to release to the media, Mac was finally able to leave campus around 4 p.m.. Roper ended up leaving right after the meeting to get the house ready and start on dinner. By the time Mac actually got home, Jake, Daphne, Dale, and Coma were already at the house. 

Mac hurried upstairs to shower and change once he was able to get through the door. Roper took Daphne over to the candy shop downtown, and Mac went to the kitchen to get everything started. The rest of the group showed up pretty quickly after that, and his bad day was forgotten for the time being. 

* * *

Carving pumpkins has always been a favorite activity in their group, especially when Daphne started to show a real interest in it. Mac remembers her first years just watching from her bouncer or stroller, giggling happily when Dale would toss a pumpkin seed in the air, or when Finn would pretend to lose his hand inside the pumpkin. It has always been fun for them. 

This year, however, is different. The actual carving is fun, but having Finn go on a feral rampage, ordering a competition - that’s a recipe for disaster. 

It started with Daphne sassing Jake, telling her she was going to make the best jack-o-lantern. That turned into Finn sassing the little girl for Jake, and suddenly Nesbit is betting money, Dale is throwing a handful of pumpkin innards at Plummer, and the entire group descends into absolute madness. Mac just manages to jump out of the way as Bueter chunks part of his pumpkin, missing Mac entirely, but ultimately hitting the side of the house. 

There is a very firm glare sent his way, and he reaches over to cover Daphne’s ears while he spits some colorful profanity. 

Once that calms down, though, Finn orchestrates a contest, in which the winner gets all of Nesbit’s money he bet, plus two full sized candy bars. 

Roper runs inside after twenty minutes, bringing Mac’s bluetooth speaker to put on the patio table. He hooks up his phone and puts on his Pumpkin Carving Playlist, and the whole group begins to get into their carving. 

By the end of it, the only people who have successfully finished a realistic looking jack-o-lantern are Mac and Roper, Jake and Daphne, Plummer, Coma, and Finn. Nesbit and Dale ended up overcompensating on designs, Bueter accidentally knocked his off the table and it splattered against the grass, and Brumley abandoned his pumpkin to make sure Daphne finished hers. 

Daphne and Roper end up winning the contest, much to Finn’s complaints, but it’s all but forgotten as they head back inside to get cleaned up for the carnival. Daphne and Brumley carved a baseball and Jake’s college number, while Roper went for the harder route - Yoda’s face with a lightsaber. Granted, most of the other carvers stuck to traditional jack-o-lantern designs, so their pumpkins didn’t amount to the winners’. 

It takes a bit of time, especially with those that have to put wigs and mustaches on, but once everyone is dressed to go - and Daphne has had her dessert - Mac and Roper lead everyone outside to the cars and pile everyone in. Mac leads the way to the carnival, a content grin on his face under his new stache. 

* * *

Something Mac really enjoys about Halloween carnivals is all the costumes they find. There are tons of Avengers, DC characters, plenty of monsters, princesses, and the occasional animal. 

But there is nothing,  _ absolutely nothing _ , that compares to the feeling of walking through the carnival gates and feeling every pair of eyes in the vicinity snap to his groups’ theme. 

As soon as they walk onto the lot, there are kids and adults who cheer them on - whether that’s because they’re damn good at sticking to their theme, or because most of them are freezing their tails off in the cold, Mac doesn’t care. He’s sure there are about fifteen or twenty adults who come through with high fives to everyone around. Even Daphne receives a handful of high fives for her costume, and that makes her glow like a star. 

The group tries to stay together as much as they can, catering to what Daphne wants to do. She spends a lot of her time playing games and riding a few rides, frequenting the booths that hand out candy. Jake takes her on a ride that’s similar to the teacup ride at Disney World, Mac lets her sit on his shoulders and shoot basketballs at a game booth, and Bueter shows her how to crush it at the bottle toss. 

Mac sticks close to Roper’s side, fingers laced together while they amble around the park. He manages to win Roper a stuffed owl at an axe throwing booth; Roper is completely smitten with his owl and carries it around like a child. 

Mac even runs into a few of his players while roaming around. He checks in on them away from the group, just to make sure they’re doing okay before he introduces them to the group. The five boys flock to Daphne like she is their queen, complimenting her on her costume. When she finds out they play the same sport her daddy and uncles played, she squeals and forces them into winning her something at a ball toss booth. Of course, they each win her a type of animal that Jake is forced to carry for the foreseeable future. 

Somehow, Daphne ends up begging Mac to take her on the carousel. He hands off his candy and winnings over to Roper and takes his goddaughter up to the ride. At first, she complains that the horses aren’t fit to carry Captain America, but eventually finds one that Mac thinks resembles Iron Man - red paint with gold and silver markings. 

Once Daphne is safely on top of the horse and strapped in, Mac takes the horse next to her, swinging his leg across and settling in. Since she’s so protective of her horse, Mac jumps off at the end to pay for another two rounds, hurrying back over to her just in time. 

The rest of their group sits just off to the side, taking pictures and videos, and making lewd comments that Mac has to cover Daphne’s ears for. Roper looks especially happy, radiant grin bright under the lights of the carnival. 

Mac manages to drag Daphne away from the horse, but only with the promise that he’d bring her back one more time before they head home. She pouts for a moment, but giggles when Mac reaches over to plop her on his shoulders again, carrying her back to the group. 

Daphne pushes them around the carnival for another hour and a half before she’s had enough, so Mac takes her for one more carousel ride like he promised. After that, she demands to be picked up and carried the rest of the way. Mac gives in and lets her crawl into his arms, falling asleep before they even make it to the front gate. 

The next morning, Mac and Roper wake up early to make everyone breakfast, forcing the living room occupants to get up and help. Daphne runs into the kitchen not long after Mac starts on pancakes and helps stack them on a plate. She even takes the pile over to the table once Mac finishes and only nibbles on a few pieces. Roper stands over a pan frying and scrambling eggs, and Nesbit prepares some bacon and his own recipe of potato pancakes should anyone want some. Eventually, the aroma of promised coffee and food wake the rest of the house up and each man trudges into the kitchen. 

It’s a somber morning for the group. They all bask in the quiet sounds of the day, bantering back and forth, and bargaining bacon strips for coffee service. Even Bueter and Plummer, who stayed in a hotel the night prior, mosey their way over to the house to spend the rest of their limited time with company. Daphne catches on quicker than in previous years, and takes time to talk to each of her uncles and give them hugs.

Everyone decides to head out around lunchtime. Roper calls into a pizza place for lunch. After they finish, they all pack up and hit the road, giving them enough time to get back home and ready for the night’s events. Before Jake and Daphne can leave, Mac corners him and makes him promise to bring her back soon. Roper loads up all her candy into the car while she gives hugs to everyone still there. 

After everyone departs, Mac and Roper take one look at the state of their house and promptly ignore it, heading back upstairs for a much needed power nap. 

* * *

Mac’s alarm goes off at 3 p.m., startling him, which in turn causes Roper to jolt and spring across the bed. He wanted to wake up early enough to get the kitchen cleaned up, the living room and guest room straightened, picking up pieces of trash and other various items, and wash all the sheets and blankets that were used. It takes some time, but Mac eventually yanks Roper out of bed by his ankles and forces him into the shower. 

With showers out of the way, Mac heads to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee to perk them up. He then begins the process of picking up all the dirty dishes and shoving them into the sink to be washed. Most of the food that was cooked that morning was eaten, and there’s really nothing that can be saved and stored away. The few bits of food left over are dumped in the trash, and the dishes are put in the sink. 

Roper stumbles in once Mac’s finished half the dishes and goes straight for the coffee. He helps Mac dry the clean silverware and dishware, then puts it away in the right cabinet or drawer. With the two of them working together, the kitchen is finished and cleaned up within thirty minutes. 

The next order of business is the living room and guest room. Mac tackles the living room, picking up blankets and pillows and taking them to the laundry room. Roper heads to the guest room to get the sheets and pillows from the bed and air mattresses, following Mac’s lead and dropping them off by the washing machine. Mac then focuses on getting all the trash picked up, like candy wrappers and plastic bits from costumes, and throws it all away. 

It only takes a good two hours for the two of them to finally finish cleaning, giving them just enough time to head back to their room and change into some nicer clothes and collect the candy for trick-or-treaters. 

As soon as it gets dark enough, Roper flips on the porch light and goes to the kitchen to fix two mixed drinks. He brings them out to the porch where Mac is setting up the candy bowl and chairs. 

“I say we cut the light off at nine,” Mac tells him as he sits. Roper hums and hands over his drink, waiting for Mac to take a sip before he sits down himself. Mac takes a small sip, shivering a little when the liquor burns his throat. It’s a 70/20 mixture, as always, of rum and coca cola, something Roper’s always been good at making. “It’s good, Ken.” 

Roper looks smug as he sits in his own chair, taking a healthy gulp of his drink. “Mm, makes me think of college.” 

Mac snorts. “That’s a lie from Satan's mouth, babe. Finn was always the one making us drinks. You somehow managed to ruin cinnamon whiskey for half of us by the time we graduated.” 

“You wound me,” Roper says, clutching his chest. “Hey, at least we don’t drink that shit anymore. We’ve moved on to the good stuff.” 

Mac rolls his eyes and picks a piece of candy out of the bowl, unwrapping it and popping it into his mouth. “Our ‘good stuff’ is cheap rum from the liquor store.” 

Roper leans over and smacks Mac’s shoulder playfully, chuckling to himself. “You’re just mad you can’t mix drinks to save your life.” 

“Yes, I agree - that is what I am most angry about in this world,” Mac replies, deadpan. “Should I ever land myself trying to make a drink in exchange for my life, just go ahead and start planning the funeral.” 

“Sometimes I ask myself why I fell in love with your pessimistic ass.” 

“It was because of my great personality,” Mac answers, tone neutral. 

“That too.” 

* * *

“Hey, Mac,” Roper whispers against his ear later that night as they’re laying in bed. 

“Yeah?” he answers. Mac rolls over and wraps his arms around Roper’s waist, snuggling up to his chest and breathing in the warmth at his neck. 

Roper pulls him closer and kisses his forehead, saying, “You know I want everything with you, right?” 

Mac hums and places a kiss to Roper’s pec. “I know.” 

“I want to be your husband, I want children, even your bad attitude - I want it all, babe,” Roper presses. 

“I know, Kenny,” he answers, nodding, voice slurring as he drifts to sleep. “I want everything with you. Wedding, kids, the whole circus.” 

Roper seems satisfied by his answer for the moment. He rubs soothing circles in Mac’s shoulders, and Mac can feel himself fall deeper into his warmth, bit by bit. 

Until the bastard starts talking again. 

“Oh, and Mac?” 

“ _ Whaaaat _ ?” Mac groans, biting playfully at Roper’s skin. 

It takes a minute for him to reply, long enough for Mac to glance up at him to make sure he’s still awake. When his gaze meets Roper’s, the man is smirking at him - a dangerous thing, in Mac’s professional experience. 

Roper leans in and frames Mac’s face with his hands, kissing him softly. He pulls away and sighs, “You didn’t delete your search history from your work computer.” 

Mac spends the next five minutes shoving Roper’s face into his pillow while he tickles him. Roper just cackles wildly, without a worry in the world, and teases Mac for his poor choices. He finds out Roper’s known about the ring search since he first looked them up and thought he deleted the evidence, which means he’s been sitting on that information for a few weeks. 

What Roper doesn’t know, however, is that Mac has already ordered the ring and has a ‘work thing’ in Roper’s hometown next month, where he’s going to talk to Roper’s parents. 

So really, all in all, Mac and Roper’s Halloween this year has been absolutely marvelous. 

Maybe not marvelous, but it’s definitely been something. 

**Author's Note:**

> ** Mac finds out three of his junior players took pills. The assistant coach takes them to the ER to have them checked out, but they were just high. When Mac finds out, he kicks them off the team, has them arrested, and then expelled. The drug use is never detailed at all, and the assistant coach mentions that the hospital thinks they took MDMA, or ecstasy **


End file.
